The Closest Thing To Being Born

"I have dreams about the Wedge. It takes me places and I'm flying, flying. I'm relaxed and drifting. All my nerves and tensions leave me. I can't go away from the Wedge and miss big sets without getting all upset and worried. There hasn't been much surf lately, and Cherilee and I are going away for 10 days. I'm worried about that. The Wedge means that much to me.

"I dream sometimes I'll die at the Wedge. It's not a death wish or anything like Evel Knievel has. I think Knievel is a smart guy, definitely not crazy. He's a good motorcycle jumper. I think I'd like to jump cycles someday. Evel has a friend who's even more way out than him. His friend has a stunt where he is going to dive-bomb a plane, an old World War II plane, and aim it straight down to the ground. On the way down this guy is going to jump out—without a parachute now—and then a little later try to sky-dive back into the plane. I don't think I'd want to try that. It's groovy, all right, but the theory doesn't seem right."

Virgil was asked why the theory didn't seem right.

"Well, he could get back in," he said. "He could get back in, that's for sure."

But what's the difference? he was asked. He crashes and he dies.

"That's right," said Mike Virgil. "That's right."